System for selecting modular implant components

ABSTRACT

A method for selecting modular neck components for hip implants based on independent variables associated with physical characteristics of the implant, including leg length, offset, and anteversion. During surgery, the surgeon may be confronted with a need to change a preoperatively-chosen modular neck. For example, the surgeon may desire a change in at least one of the variables, e.g., leg length, offset, and/or anteversion. The present method allows the surgeon to quickly and easily select a different modular neck based on an evaluation of one of the variables without requiring reevaluation of the other variables. The method may include preoperative planning in which a template including a grid coordinate system is used.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/758,423, filed Apr. 12, 2010, entitled “METHOD FOR SELECTING MODULARIMPLANT COMPONENTS” which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/458,257, filed Jul. 18, 2006, entitled “METHOD FOR SELECTINGMODULAR IMPLANT COMPONENTS,” both assigned to the assignee of thepresent application, the disclosures of each of which are herebyexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to modular components for prostheticjoints. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method forselecting modular neck components for prosthetic hip joints.

2. Description of the Related Art

Orthopedic prosthetic implants are commonly used to replace some or allof a patient's hip joint in order to restore the use of the hip joint,or to increase the use of the hip joint, following deterioration due toaging or illness, or injury due to trauma. In a hip replacement, or hiparthroplasty procedure, a femoral component is used to replace a portionof the patient's femur, including the femoral neck and head. The femoralcomponent is typically a hip stem, which includes a stem portionpositioned within the prepared femoral canal of the patient's femur andsecured via bone cement, or by a press-fit followed by bony ingrowth ofthe surrounding tissue into a porous coating of the stem portion. Thehip stem also includes a neck portion adapted to receive a prostheticfemoral head. The femoral head may be received within a prostheticacetabular component, such as an acetabular cup received within theprepared recess of the patient's acetabulum.

Orthopedic implants for hip replacement may include modular hip jointcomponents. For example, the hip stem and the neck portion with femoralhead are formed as separate components. Prior to an operation, a surgeonchooses a hip stem and a neck portion based on patient anatomy, bodyimage scans, and/or other patient-specific data. However, duringsurgery, the surgeon may discover that a different hip stem or adifferent neck portion is desired to provide more optimum results.Modular hip joint components allow the surgeon to choose a different hipstem or neck portion depending on the specific application and needs ofthe patient and surgeon. Typically, the surgeon will only change theneck portion because the hip stem is usually implanted first, andremoval of the hip stem from the femoral intramedullary canal isgenerally undesirable. Thus, the neck portion is usually the componentthat is most often changed intraoperatively. The surgeon may be providedwith a number of different neck portions to accommodate various patientanatomies.

In one known system, for example, the surgeon chooses from a pluralityof options to replace an existing neck portion with an alternative neckportion to provide the best outcome for the patient. The surgeon'schoices rely on the location of the center of rotation of the femoralhead component of the implant. Referring to FIG. 1, an image of aproximal femur 20 is shown and includes femoral head 22, greatertrochanter 24, lesser trochanter 26, femoral neck 28, and a portion offemoral shaft 27. FIG. 1 illustrates a portion 30 of a template used inthe known system. The template may also include images of the femur,similar to those described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.Portion 30 of the template may be placed over the image of proximalfemur 20 acquired preoperatively to plan the optimum location of thecenter of the femoral head of the implant. Portion 30 of the templatemay include a plurality of reference points 32, 34 arranged in agenerally fan-shaped arrangement. Each reference point represents thecenter of rotation for the femoral head component of the implant.Typically, reference points 32, 34 may be based on a spherical orcylindrical coordinate system. If the surgeon desires an intra-operativechange which differs from the preoperatively chosen modular neckportion, the surgeon must simultaneously evaluate at least threevariables based on the center of rotation of the femoral head of theimplant, and may need to consult various tables to evaluate thesevariables based on physical characteristics of the patient in order tochoose an optimal implant.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a method for selecting modular neckcomponents for hip implants based on independent variables associatedwith physical characteristics of the implant, including leg length,offset, and anteversion. During surgery, the surgeon may be confrontedwith a need to change a preoperatively-chosen modular neck. For example,the surgeon may desire a change in at least one of the variables, e.g.,leg length, offset, and/or anteversion. The present method allows thesurgeon to quickly and easily select a different modular neck based onan evaluation of one of the variables without requiring reevaluation ofthe other variables. The method may include preoperative planning inwhich a template including a grid coordinate system is used, whichadvantageously provides an intuitive system for the surgeon bothpreoperatively and during surgery.

In one form thereof, the present invention provides a method forselecting an orthopedic implant from a system of orthopedic implants forimplantation in an anatomical structure of a patient, the methodincluding the steps of acquiring an image of the anatomical structure;using a template with a grid coordinate system to assess at least one ofa first, second, and third variable associated with respective physicalcharacteristics of the implants, the grid coordinate system having aplurality of reference points corresponding to at least two of thefirst, second, and third variables; and selecting a first orthopedicimplant from the system of implants based on coordinates determinedusing the template.

In another form thereof, the present invention provides a method forintraoperatively selecting an orthopedic implant for implantation in ananatomical structure of a patient, the method including the steps ofassessing, intraoperatively, at least one of a first, a second, and athird variable associated with respective physical characteristics ofthe implant; and selecting an orthopedic implant based on a change inthe at least one variable from a system in which the implants arearranged in subsets in which one of the others of the first, second, andthird variables is constant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention,and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and theinvention itself will be better understood by reference to the followingdescription of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an image of a proximal femur, further showing a portion of atemplate of a known system overlaid on the image;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating steps of a method according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an image of a template according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the template of FIG. 3 overlaid over theimage of a proximal femur;

FIG. 5A is a plan view of a subset of a system of modular necks used inthe method illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5B is a plan view of another subset of the system of modular necksused in the method illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5C is a plan view of yet another subset of the system of modularnecks used in the method illustrated in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a modular implant.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. The exemplifications set out hereinillustrate embodiments of the invention and such exemplifications arenot to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in anymanner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention generally provides a method for selecting modularneck components for hip implants based on independent variablesassociated with physical characteristics of the implant, including leglength, offset, and anteversion. During surgery, the surgeon may beconfronted with a need to change a preoperatively-chosen modular neck.For example, the surgeon may desire a change in at least one of thevariables, e.g., leg length, offset, and/or anteversion. The presentmethod allows the surgeon to quickly and easily select a differentmodular neck based on an evaluation of one of the variables withoutrequiring reevaluation of the other variables. The method may includepreoperative planning in which a template including a grid coordinatesystem is used, which advantageously provides an intuitive system forthe surgeon both preoperatively and during surgery.

Referring to FIG. 2, a flow chart illustrating steps of method 100 isshown and includes several steps beginning with step 102. Step 102includes preparing a patient (not shown) for the surgical procedure,e.g., collecting information and past medical history. In step 104, thesurgeon or a surgeon's assistant will acquire at least one image of theappropriate portion of the hip region of the patient, e.g., at least aportion of the femur and the hip joint. The image may be a radiographicimage such as an X-ray image or fluoroscopic image, for example, or,alternatively, a computed tomography (CT) image, a magnetic resonanceimage (MRI), or any other suitable image. Typical images for a hipreplacement procedure may be taken along two different directions. Forexample, anterior/posterior (A/P) and lateral pelvic images may be takenof the hip joint.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a template 50 is shown which may be used inconjunction with the images to preoperatively plan a surgical procedurein order to perform the joint replacement/restoration. Template 50 maybe constructed of a piece of transparent plastic or other suitablematerial which may be overlaid on the image of the hip portion of thepatient. Template 50 may include a plurality of reference points 51forming a grid coordinate system, for example, a Cartesian coordinatesystem, including a pattern of intersecting horizontal and verticalindicators or lines that provide coordinates for locating points.Reference points 51 may be formed of ink deposits on the transparentplastic, or, alternatively or in combination with the ink deposits,reference points 51 may be formed as cutouts in the transparent plasticto allow the surgeon to mark directly on the acquired image where theideal center of rotation of the femoral head of the hip implant shouldbe located. The grid 52 of template 50 may include leg length beingmeasured along the “y-axis” and offset being measured along the“x-axis.” Alternatively, leg length may be measured along the “x-axis”and offset may be measured along the “y-axis.” Template 50 may alsoinclude graphic representations of a femoral stem component of hipimplant 40 (FIG. 6), i.e., stem 46 (FIG. 6), including recess 48 shownin dashed lines in FIGS. 3 and 6. The representation of stem 46 may beformed of conventional ink on the transparent plastic. A plurality orsystem of templates 50 may be provided corresponding to each availablesize or type of femoral stem component of the hip implant system.

As shown in FIG. 3, template 50 may also include reference points 54corresponding to the lateral pelvic view of the hip portion of thepatient and which represent a third axial or cylindrical componentcorresponding to the anteversion component of the hip implant. Referencepoints 54, which are arranged in three planes, may represent ananteverted neck, a straight neck, or a retroverted neck. The planes ofreference points 54 may represent the “z-axis” of grid 52 in theCartesian coordinate system, or, alternatively, the third component maybe represented in a cylindrical or polar coordinate system in which,when viewed from an end view of the proximal end of the femur, theplanes in which reference points 54 are situated are arranged in afan-shaped arrangement. More or less planes of reference points 54 maybe included to accommodate a greater number of anteversion components,if needed.

In step 106, the surgeon selects the template 50 corresponding to thefemoral stem component of the hip implant to be used in the surgicalprocedure. Template 50 may be chosen in a conventional manner such thatthe representation of stem 46 on template 50 substantially fills theintramedullary canal of femoral shaft 27 of the image, such that theactual femoral stem component of the hip implant will correctly fit theintramedullary canal of the actual femur.

In step 108 and as shown in FIG. 4, the surgeon superimposes the correcttemplate 50 on the acquired image. In step 110, template 50 may be usedby the surgeon to determine the desired leg length and offset when usingportion 50 a of template 50 corresponding to the A/P pelvic view and todetermine the desired anteversion and/or leg length when using portion50 b of template 50 corresponding to the lateral pelvic view. For thepurposes of this document, offset is measured along a line drawnsubstantially perpendicular to longitudinal axis 41 of femoral stem 46.The surgeon orients the representation of stem 46 on template 50 toalign with the intramedullary canal of the image of femoral shaft 27.When the surgeon is using portion 50 a of template 50 corresponding tothe A/P pelvic view, the surgeon orients origin 53 of grid 52 at thelocation at which the surgeon desires center 49 of head 42 of modularneck 44 (FIG. 6) to be located. This location of center 49 may notnecessarily coincide with the original center of femoral head 22 priorto surgery because the condition of femoral head 22 may dictate adifferent center for the head of the modular implant component. Forexample, if the original femoral head 22 is severely deteriorated or isbadly misshapen, the surgeon may desire a different center for the headof the modular implant than the current center for the original femoralhead 22. Also, the surgeon may wish to correct some problem, e.g.,laxity correction or bone alignment correction, which may cause thecenter for the head of the modular implant to be different than thecenter of femoral head 22. In an exemplary procedure, origin 53coincides with center 49, as shown in FIG. 4. The surgeon then assessesor evaluates where center 49 should be located on grid 52 of template50. This evaluation permits the surgeon to obtain thepreoperatively-planned values for the offset and the leg length for themodular neck component of the hip implant.

Still referring to step 110 and FIG. 4, when the surgeon is usingportion 50 b of template 50 corresponding to the lateral pelvic view,the surgeon chooses a desired anteversion component from the planes ofreference points 54. The surgeon again orients the representation ofstem 46 on template 50 to align with the intramedullary canal of theimage of femoral shaft 27, in the manner described above. The surgeonmay use the planes of reference points 54 to determine the desiredanteversion component for the modular neck of the hip implant. In anexemplary procedure, the surgeon will determine the anteversioncomponent first, and then determine the necessary leg length and offsetvalues for the preoperative plan of the procedure.

In step 110, the surgeon may mark directly on the image where center 49of head 42 of modular neck 44 (FIG. 6) will be located and/or whatanteversion component is necessary. In step 112, the surgeon thenselects a modular neck 44 from system 60 (FIGS. 5A-5C) corresponding tothe assessed variables of leg length, offset, and anteversion in themanner described below.

Alternatively, template 50 may be a template on a computer screen in acomputer assisted surgery (CAS) system. The surgeon may superimpose thecomputer generated template 50 in the CAS system on the image of theproximal femur to determine the optimal position of center 49 of head 42of a modular neck 44 (FIG. 6). In one such embodiment, advantageously,both views, i.e., A/P and lateral, may be simultaneously viewed in theCAS system and template 50 may be superimposed thereon to allow thesurgeon to simultaneously assess all three variables, i.e., anteversion,leg length, and offset.

During surgery and as shown in step 114, a preoperatively-chosen femoralstem 46 of hip implant 40 (FIG. 6) is implanted into a patient'sprepared intramedullary canal by a conventional surgical technique. Thesurgeon may then provisionally implant the preoperatively-chosen modularneck 44 (FIG. 6) which has been chosen by the surgeon to provide theoptimum result for the particular patient, in the manner describedabove. Modular neck 44 (FIG. 6) may include head 42, neck portion 43,and tapered portion 47 shaped to mate with recess 48 in femoral stem 46.Head 42 may be integrally formed with neck 44 or head 42 may be amodular component attached to neck portion 43 of neck 44.Advantageously, the femoral stem 46 (FIG. 6) of hip implant 40 (FIG. 6)is equipped to accept a number of different modular neck components.Thus, the leg length, anteversion, and offset of the hip implant can bechanged without requiring removal of femoral stem 46.

In step 116, the surgeon may trial the provisionally implanted modularneck 44 (FIG. 6) to verify or confirm the preoperative plan andassociated results. At this point, the surgeon will assess severalvariables, for example, leg length, offset, and anteversion, associatedwith the hip implant and the physical anatomy of the patient. Thisassessment may be completed via a conventional surgical technique, forexample, moving the joint through a range of motion. The surgeon mayobserve that more leg length is necessary, but that the offset andanteversion are satisfactory. The present method advantageously allowsthe surgeon to select a new modular neck based only on the change in leglength without affecting the offset and anteversion. Similarly, thesurgeon may observe that more offset is necessary, but that the leglength and anteversion are satisfactory. The present methodadvantageously allows the surgeon to select a new modular neck basedonly on the change in offset without affecting the leg length andanteversion. Because the leg length and offset changes are based on agrid coordinate system, the surgeon can easily and intuitively select anew modular neck component based on a leg length change and/or an offsetchange without requiring an extensive lookup table or complicatedmathematical conversion calculations to ensure that no other variablesare being changed undesirably.

Similarly, the surgeon may observe that a different anteversioncomponent is necessary, but that the leg length and offset aresatisfactory. The present method advantageously allows the surgeon toselect a new modular neck based only on the change in anteversionwithout affecting the leg length and offset. Because the anteversioncomponent is based on a grid coordinate system, similar to leg lengthand offset, described above, or, alternatively, on a polar coordinatesystem, the surgeon can easily and intuitively select a new modular neckcomponent based on a change in anteversion without requiring anextensive lookup table or complicated mathematical conversioncalculations to ensure that no other variables are being changedundesirably.

After the surgeon determines the desired change, the surgeon may employsystem 60 (FIGS. 5A-5C), described below, to choose a different modularneck 44 to provide more optimum results.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A-5C, system 60 is arranged to include aplurality of modular necks 44 with varying dimensions suitable fordifferent leg length, offset, and anteversion dimensions. In oneembodiment, system 60 may include container 61 with a plurality ofcompartments 63 for physically housing each modular neck 44 in system60, wherein each modular neck 44 is held in respective compartments 63and the surgeon or an assistant selects a modular neck 44 from acompartment 63 in container 61. Each neck 44 may include referenceidentifier 69. In an alternative embodiment, system 60 may be agraphical representation of the plurality of modular necks 44 arrangedin an organized arrangement, e.g., a Cartesian coordinate system. Inthis embodiment, the surgeon may select a modular neck 44 andcorresponding reference identifier 69, for example, from the graphicalrepresentation, and reference identifier 69 may then be used by asurgical assistant, for example, to retrieve the desired modular neck 44which corresponds to the surgeon's desired choice and referenceidentifier 69 from a central location at which the modular necks 44 arestored.

A subset of system 60 may be provided and arranged in container 61.Alternatively, a plurality of subsets of system 60 may be provided andarranged in at least one container 61. System 60 is arranged such thatall necks 44 within a given subset of necks correspond to a particularanteversion component. Each subset may have a different anteversioncomponent, thereby permitting a surgeon to independently assess thedesired anteversion component and have an identical subset of necks 44for each anteversion component. For example, the anteversion componentmay be, for example, anteverted, straight, or retroverted. Thus, forexample, referring to FIG. 5A, subset 60 a of necks 44 in system 60 maycorrespond to straight necks. Referring to FIG. 5B, subset 60 b of necks44 in system 60 may correspond to anteverted necks. Similarly, referringto FIG. 5C, subset 60 c of necks 44 in system 60 may correspond toretroverted necks. System 60 may include as many subsets of necks 44that correspond to the desired number of choices of the anteversioncomponent, for example, system 60 may include additional subsetscorresponding to greater extremes of anteverted and retroverted necks.

Still referring to FIGS. 5A-5C, for each neck 44 in each subset 60 a, 60b, 60 c of system 60, system 60 includes a pair of identifyingcoordinates corresponding to leg length and offset. For example, thenumber represented by offset component 62 corresponds to offset and thenumber represented by leg length component 64 corresponds to leg length.The Cartesian coordinates represented by offset component 62 and leglength component 64 may be represented by the following coordinates:(±offset, ±leg length). If origin 53 does coincide with center 49 duringthe preoperative planning, then the surgeon may likely choose a modularneck 44 with the following coordinates in step 112: (+0, +0). If origin53 does not coincide with center 49 during the preoperative planning dueto, for example, a defect in femoral head 22, then the surgeon maychoose a modular neck with coordinates different from (+0, +0) in step112.

Each subset 60 a, 60 b, 60 c may include two sets of pairs ofidentifying coordinates corresponding to leg length and offset. Each setcorresponds to either a right hip or a left hip. Advantageously, asshown in FIGS. 5A-5C, the surgeon need only rotate container 61 ninetydegrees to switch between a system used for the left hip and the righthip. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the left hip pair of coordinatesis identified by the letter L and the right hip pair of coordinates isidentified by the letter R. Furthermore, as identified at the top ofcontainer 61, the anteversion component includes a designation “right”or “left” depending on which hip those necks 44 are to be used for. Forexample, if the surgeon needs a straight neck for a left hip, then thesurgeon rotates container 61 including subset 60 a until “LEFT STRAIGHT”appears at the top of container 61, as shown in FIG. 5A, at which pointthe offset and leg length coordinates are positioned below eachrespective neck 44. Alternatively, the offset and leg length coordinatesmay be positioned above each respective neck 44.

Intraoperatively, if the surgeon does not want any change in offset butneeds a change in leg length, the surgeon will choose a new neck 44having the following coordinates: (preoperatively-planned offset value,preoperatively-planned leg length value±change in leg length) from aparticular subset according to the chosen anteversion component.Similarly, if the surgeon does not want any change in leg length butneeds a change in offset, the surgeon will choose a neck 44 having thefollowing coordinates: (preoperatively-planned offset value±change inoffset, preoperatively-planned leg length value) from a particularsubset according to the chosen anteversion component.

Advantageously, arranging the plurality of modular necks 44 in eachsubset 60 a, 60 b, 60 c of system 60 in a Cartesian coordinate gridallows the surgeon to easily and intuitively intraoperatively choose amodular neck 44 which corresponds to an independent change in leglength, offset, or anteversion. The surgeon may use a fluoroscopic orother image-guided system (not shown) to facilitate the assessment ofthe change in leg length, offset, and/or anteversion, as describedabove, or, alternatively, the surgeon may simply manually/visuallydetermine the desired change in leg length, offset, and/or anteversion,and subsequently choose a neck 44 from a subset of system 60corresponding to the desired change.

In one example, if the surgeon determines in step 116 that more or lessleg length is desired but that the offset and anteversion aresatisfactory, the surgeon may select a different modular neck 44 from asubset of system 60 which corresponds to the desired change. Forexample, if the surgeon needs no change in offset and 4 millimeters (mm)more of leg length, the surgeon chooses the neck with the followingcoordinates from a subset of system 60 corresponding to the satisfactoryanteversion component: (preoperatively-planned offset value,preoperatively-planned leg length value plus 4). Subsequently, thesurgeon implants neck 44 into the femoral stem component of the hipimplant. The surgeon may similarly choose a different neck 44 dependingon how much change in leg length was desired.

In another example, if the surgeon determines in step 116 that less leglength and more offset are desired but the anteversion is satisfactory,the surgeon may select a different modular neck 44 from a subset ofsystem 60 which corresponds to the desired change. For example, if thesurgeon needs 4 mm more of offset and 4 mm less of leg length, thesurgeon chooses the neck with the following coordinates from a subset ofsystem 60 corresponding to the satisfactory anteversion component:(preoperatively-planned offset value plus 4, preoperatively-planned leglength value minus 4). Subsequently, the surgeon implants neck 44 intothe femoral stem component of the hip implant. The surgeon may similarlychoose a different neck 44 depending on how much change in leg lengthand/or offset was desired.

In yet another example, if the surgeon determines in step 116 that leglength and offset are satisfactory but the anteversion needs changed,the surgeon may select a different modular neck 44 from a subset ofsystem 60 which corresponds to the desired change. For example, if thesurgeon needs to change from a retroverted neck to a straight neck, thesurgeon will select neck 44 from subset 60 a of system 60 correspondingto a straight neck and having the desired leg length and offset.

In step 118, the different neck 44 chosen by the assessment of leglength, offset, and anteversion in step 116 is implanted into the stemcomponent of the hip implant.

Although illustrated throughout as having intervals of 4 mm for bothoffset and leg length, system 60 could be arranged to have intervals ofany dimension to accommodate the needs of a particular patient or thedesires of a particular surgeon. For example, the interval could be 1,2, 3, 4, or 5 mm, or any fraction thereof, for both offset and leglength.

The above-described concept has generally been described as a systemhaving three variables, i.e., leg length, offset, and anteversion. Thesystem has been described in which one of these three variables, i.e.,the anteversion component, is constant for any given subset of implantshaving various offsets and leg lengths. For example, the surgeon maypreoperatively choose a desired anteversion component, which may notchange intraoperatively, and then need only choose various modular necks44 from the subset corresponding to the desired anteversion component ofsystem 60 based only on offset and leg length. Alternatively, the systemmay be constructed such that leg length is the constant variable and theimplants of each subset of system 60 are arranged to have identical leglengths and varying offset and anteversion components. In anotheralternative embodiment, the system may be constructed such that offsetis the constant variable and the implants of each subset of system 60are arranged to have identical offsets and varying leg lengths andanteversion components.

Although described throughout with respect to a hip implant, the methodcould be utilized in any procedure which uses modular components, forexample, but not limited to, shoulder implant procedures, knee implantprocedures, etc.

While this invention has been described as having exemplary designs, thepresent invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope ofthis disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover anyvariations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its generalprinciples. Further, this application is intended to cover suchdepartures from the present disclosure as come within known or customarypractice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fallwithin the limits of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for facilitating selection of anorthopedic implant for implantation in an anatomical structure of apatient using an image of the anatomical structure, the systemcomprising: a template comprising a reference marker and a gridcoordinate system including a plurality of reference points, thereference marker configured to locate the template and the plurality ofreference points relative to the image of the anatomical structure; afirst orthopedic implant component; and a plurality of second orthopedicimplant components attachable, in the alternative, to the firstorthopedic implant component, each of the plurality of second orthopedicimplant components defining a physical characteristic different fromanother second orthopedic implant component, wherein the plurality ofsecond orthopedic implant components comprises a plurality of modularneck components for an orthopedic hip implant, with the reference markerrepresenting an orthopedic stem configured to couple to the modular neckcomponents, and wherein each of the plurality of reference points of thegrid coordinate system is referenced to one of the plurality of secondorthopedic implant components.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein thetemplate is configured to be placed over the image to align thereference points of the grid coordinate system with one or morelocations on the image of the anatomical structure, and wherein thereference points include at least one of a mark or a cutout on or in thetemplate.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of secondorthopedic implant components includes at least one subset in which atleast one of a first, second, and third implant variable associated witha respective different physical characteristic of the implants isconstant and at least another of the first, second, and third implantvariables varies.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first implantvariable corresponds to leg length, the second implant variablecorresponds to offset, and the third implant variable corresponds toanteversion.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the grid coordinatesystem corresponds to at least a first variable and a second variable,the first variable associated with a first physical characteristic ofthe second orthopedic implant components and the second variableassociated with a second physical characteristic of the secondorthopedic implant components.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein one ofthe variables is arranged along a first axis of the grid coordinatesystem and another of the variables is arranged along a second axis ofthe grid coordinate system which is orthogonal to the first axis.
 7. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the plurality of reference points furthercorresponds to a third variable, with the first variable correspondingto leg length, the second variable corresponding to offset, and thethird variable corresponding to anteversion.
 8. The system of claim 5,wherein the plurality of reference points further corresponds to a thirdvariable associated with a third physical characteristic of the secondorthopedic implant components and the plurality of second orthopedicimplant components comprises an arrangement of components including atleast one subset in which at least one of the first, second, and thirdvariables is constant and the others of the first, second, and thirdvariables varies, with the arrangement comprising a graphicalrepresentation arranged according to the at least one subset.
 9. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the first variable is associated with one ofa length characteristic, an offset characteristic, and an anteversioncharacteristic of the plurality of second orthopedic implant components,and the second variable is associated with another one of the lengthcharacteristic, the offset characteristic, and the anteversioncharacteristic of the plurality of second orthopedic implant components.10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first variable is arranged alonga first axis of the grid coordinate system and the second variable isarranged along a second axis of the grid coordinate system which isorthogonal to the first axis.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein theplurality of second orthopedic implant components includes a first neckcomponent and a second neck component, at least one of the lengthcharacteristic, the offset characteristic, and the anteversioncharacteristic of the first neck component differing from the respectivecharacteristic of the second neck component.
 12. A system forfacilitating selection of a neck component for a hip implant forimplantation in an anatomical structure of a patient using an image ofthe anatomical structure, the system comprising: a template comprising areference marker and a grid coordinate system that includes a pluralityof alternative reference points that are viewable on the template at thesame time by a surgeon, the reference marker configured to locate thetemplate and the plurality of alternative reference points relative tothe image of the anatomical structure; and a plurality of neckcomponents for a hip implant system, each of the neck componentsconfigured to be coupled to an orthopedic stem; wherein each of theplurality of alternative reference points of the template corresponds toone of the plurality of neck components, and wherein the surgeon movingfrom a first reference point to a second reference point on the gridcoordinate system can identify, respectively, a corresponding changefrom a first neck component in the plurality of neck components to asecond neck component in the plurality of neck components forimplantation in the anatomical structure of the patient.
 13. The systemof claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of neck components comprisesa length characteristic, an offset characteristic, and an anteversioncharacteristic, and wherein the length characteristic is independent ofthe offset characteristic, the offset characteristic is independent ofthe anteversion characteristic, and the anteversion characteristic isindependent of the length characteristic.
 14. The system of claim 12,wherein the grid coordinate system corresponding to first, second, andthird implant variables associated with respective different physicalcharacteristics of the neck components, the first implant variablecorresponding to leg length, the second implant variable correspondingto offset, and the third implant variable corresponding to anteversion,with the first variable arranged along a first axis of the gridcoordinate system, the second variable arranged along a second axis ofthe grid coordinate system which is orthogonal to the first axis, andthe third variable arranged along a third axis of the grid coordinatesystem which is orthogonal to the first and second axes.
 15. The systemof claim 12, wherein the orthopedic stem includes a first orthopedicstem, and the reference marker represents the first orthopedic stem. 16.The system of claim 15, wherein the orthopedic stem includes a secondorthopedic stem, and the system further comprising a second templatethat includes a second reference marker, the second reference markerrepresenting the second orthopedic stem that differs in size from thefirst orthopedic stem.
 17. The system of claim 12, further comprising aplurality of orthopedic implant identifiers, wherein each of theorthopedic implant identifiers is associated with one of the pluralityof alternative reference points.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein theorthopedic implant identifiers are part of a graphical representation ofthe grid coordinate system.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein theorthopedic implant identifiers are incorporated onto the neckcomponents.
 20. The system of claim 17, wherein the grid coordinatesystem corresponding to first, second, and third implant variablesassociated with respective different physical characteristics of theneck components, the first implant variable corresponding to leg length,the second implant variable corresponding to offset, and the thirdimplant variable corresponding to anteversion.
 21. The system of claim20, wherein said plurality of neck components includes at least onesubset in which at least one of the first, second, and third implantvariable is constant and at least another of the first, second, andthird implant variables varies.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein thefirst variable is arranged along a first axis of the grid coordinatesystem, the second variable is arranged along a second axis of the gridcoordinate system which is orthogonal to the first axis, and the thirdvariable is arranged along a third axis of the grid coordinate systemwhich is orthogonal to the first and second axes.
 23. A system forfacilitating selection of an orthopedic implant for implantation in ananatomical structure of a patient using an image of the anatomicalstructure, the system comprising: a template comprising a referencemarker and a grid coordinate system including a plurality of referencepoints, the reference marker configured to locate the template and theplurality of reference points relative to the image of the anatomicalstructure; a first orthopedic implant component; and a plurality ofsecond orthopedic implant components attachable, in the alternative, tothe first orthopedic implant component, each of the plurality of secondorthopedic implant components defining a physical characteristicdifferent from another second orthopedic implant component; wherein eachof the plurality of reference points of the grid coordinate system isreferenced to one of the plurality of second orthopedic implantcomponents, wherein the plurality of second orthopedic implantcomponents are modular components of a hip implant system, and whereinthe plurality of second orthopedic implant components includes at leastone subset in which at least one of a first, second, and third implantvariable associated with a respective different physical characteristicof the implants is constant and at least another of the first, second,and third implant variables varies, with the first implant variablecorresponding to leg length, the second implant variable correspondingto offset, and the third implant variable corresponding to anteversion.